Mounting clamp for manufacture of television tubes



Jan. 4, 1955 o. T. BUCK 2,693,597

MOUNTING CLAMP FOR MANUFACTURE OF TELEVISION TUBES Filed July 6, 1950 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 I/ INVENTOR.

DAVID T. BUCK a n/$31 14, MM

H IS ATTORNEYS.

D. T. BUCK Jan. 4, 1955 MOUNTING CLAMP FOR MANUFACTURE OF TELEVISION TUBES Filed July 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent MOUNTING CLAMP FOR MANUFACTURE OF TELEVISION TUBES David T. Buck, Freehold, N. 1., assignor to Buck Engineering Company, Inc., Freehold, N. J., a corporatlon of New Jersey Application July 6, 1950, Serial No. 172,232

4 Claims. (Cl. 118-503) This invention relates to improvements in clamping mechanisms to support and retain television tubes during the application of the fluorescent screens to such tubes. The invention relates particularly to clamps which are capable of receiving and retaining either circular or rectangular television tubes, without an adjustment of the size of the clamps.

The fluorescent coating material for the screen of a television tube is applied to the interior of the tube by means of a settling operation. The coating material, in the form of a suspension in a suitable liquid, is introduced into the tube and allowed to settle out onto the screen or large end of the tube as a thin, uniform layer. After the fluorescent material has settled, the tube is tilted slowly and the liquid is decanted from the tube, care being taken to avoid agitation of the liquid which would damage the screen coating.

In production operations, an endless conveyor is used to support a plurality of rows of the tubes and convey them past a station where the suspension is introduced into the tube. The conveyor moves slowly forward while settling of the fluorescent material takes place. The liquid is decanted as the tubes tilt around the supporting roller or pulley at one end of the conveyor.

In order to hold the tubes on the conveyor, it is provided with a series of clamps, each of which consists of a dishshaped member fitting the screen end of the tube and having one or more screws around its edge which can be tightened against the side of the tube to hold it in place. These prior clamps are satisfactory as long as only one shape or kind of tube is being coated. However, a clamp for a circular tube will not fit and hold a rectangular tube, nor can these prior clamps be adjusted for different shapes and sizes of television tubes.

At the present time, the size and shape of television tubes has not been completely standardized. There are at least four different sizes and at least two different shapes of direct vision circular tubes and also several sizes of rectangular tubes. Because of the diversity of the size, and shape of the television tubes, considerable difficulty is encountered in handling these tubes, especially if they are received for the settling operation more or less at random, as is often the case.

In accordance with the present invention, I have provided a clamping device which can be readily substituted for the dish-like clamps referred to above and which, without adjustment, is capable of handling circular and rectangular tubes of the more popular sizes and which, moreover, can be adjusted quickly and easily to accommodate tubes of quite different size and shape.

A typical clamping device embodying the present invention includes a base or supporting member which can be attached to a conveyor or other element for supporting and tilting the tube. The clamping device has one fixed clamping member and another movable clamping member which can be quickly brought into engagement with the opposite sides of a television tube to retain it on a cushioning support member also mounted on the bar or support. The clamping members are provided with jaws of a peculiar shape which make them suitable for engaging either circular or rectangular tubes. The midportions of the clamps are generally of a concavo-convex or flattened V shape conforming generally to the curvature of the wall of a circular television tube. The end portions of these clamps are substantially straight and in align;

ment so as to engage the straight side walls of a rectangular tube.

The diameter of the 12 /2 inch circular tube and the width of the 16 inch rectangular tube, are such that a clamping device of the above described type can grip and retain either of these tubes without any adjustment whatsoever so that tubes of either type can be interchangeably placed in the clamping device. Likewise the clamp can be adjusted to fit the 10 round and 14" rectangular tubes.

One or both of the clamping members may be made adjustable so that the clamping device can be used for gripping a 10 inch, 12 inch or a 16 inch circular tube as may be required as well as rectangular tubes of related sizes.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a typical form of clamping device embodying the present invention with a circular and a rectangular television tube shown in dotted lines thereon;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation device;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the clamping device;

Fig. 4 is a side view of a modified type of clamping device; and

Fig. 5 is a side view of the clamping device in another adjusted position.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings will be described with reference to its use in connection with one supporting element of an endless carrier or conveyor. It will be understood that the device also can be mounted on a rotary shaft which normally supports the clamping device in a horizontal position but permits it to be tilted to decant the liquid from the television tube.

The clamping device illustrated in the drawings includes a channel-like base or supporting member 10 which can be secured at about its mid-portion to a transverse element 11 forming a slat of an endless conveyor. The base member 10 may be secured to the slat by means of a pair of screws 12 and 13, or by means of a U-bolt, not shown.

Mounted on the upper edges of the side flanges 14 and 15 of the channel member 10 is an annular ring 16 of metal or any other suitable material which acts as a support for the screen or large end of a television tube. The ring may be provided with one or more soft rubber sleeves 17 which act to cushion and support the tube.

The right-hand end of the channel member 10 supports a clamping member 18, which, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, includes an angularly bent metal strap 19 having an angularity between its arms of something less than The lower end of the strap 19 carries a bolt 20 which engages in a slot 21 in the channel member 10, permitting adjustment of the strap 19 lengthwise of the channel member. The upper end of the strap 19 is provided with a cross bar 22 having a mid-portion 23 welded or otherwise secured to the upper end of the strap and angularly inclined portions 24 and 25 which are adapted to lie tangential to the surface of a circular television tube C, and, because of the inclination of the upper end of the strap 19 to prevent upward sliding movement of the tube.

The outer ends 26 and 27 of the cross bar 22 are in alignment so that they can engage substantially flat against one side of a rectangular television tube R. To cushion the arms, they may be provided with suitable sleeves 28 and 29 of soft rubber.

At the opposite end of the supporting member 10 is another cooperating clamp 30 which may consist of a bar 31 which is pivotally supported on a pivot pin 32 extending between the parallel flanges 33 and 34 on a flat slide plate 35 resting on the base of the member 10. The slide plate 35 is connected by means of a bolt 36 to the support member 10, the bolt extending through a slot 37 to permit adjustment of the bar 31 toward and away from the clamping member 18.

The upper end of the bar 31 carries a clamping bar 38 like the clamping bar 22 described above.

of the clamping An actuating handle 39 is also pivotally mounted between the flanges 33 and 34 by means of a pivot pin 40. The actuating handle 39 is connected by means of a link 41 to the bar 31 so that upon rocking movement of the handle 39 to the left as viewed in Fig. 2 the clamping member is moved away from the clamping member 18, and, upon movement of the handle 39 to the right, the clamping member 30 is moved toward the clamping member 18. in the clamping position, the movable clamping member 30 is locked because the pivot for the lower end of the link 41 moves slightly beyond the line passing through the pivot and the pivot for the upper end of the link 41, i. e., past dead center position.

The upper ends of the bar 31 and the handle 39 may be provided with cross pins 42 and 43 to facilitate their operation.

The television tubes C and R illustrated in dotted lines in the drawings represent a 12 /2 inch circular tube and a 16% inch rectangular tube respectively. Actually, the rectangular tube has external dimensions of 11 /2 inches by 14% inches so that the clamping members 18 and 36, by reason of the shape of the cross members thereon closely fit both of these types and sizes of tubes without any adjustment being necessary.

The adjustable mounting of the strap 19, and the slide plate 35 of course, makes it possible to adjust the spacing between the clamps 1S and 35) to accommodate either larger or smaller tubes than those referred to above.

A settling conveyor equipped with clamps of the type disclosed herein can accommodate any of the conventional sizes of tubes, thereby making replacement of the clamps unnecessary when difi'erent sizes of tubes are being made.

Only a short rocking movement of the handle 39 is required to release the tubes and this is most advantageous for the reason that the space is quite limited on the conveyor belt if it is to be used to its full capacity.

From the preceding description, it will be apparent that a tube clamp has been provided which is capable of handling a wide variety of tubes and thereby greatly facilitates the unloading and loading of the conveyor even when the tubes are received at random for application of the screen coating thereto.

It will be understood that the device is susceptible to some modification without departing from the invention. Thus, if desired, the cross bars which engage the tubes mav be mounted resiliently on their respective strap 19 and bar 31 and they may be provided also with adiustments to regulate their angularity with respect to the base member for handling the conical base tubes of a type now also being used in the more compact television sets. Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate one such type of angularly adjustable clamp.

This clamping device includes a supporting channel-like base which may be made of a pair of angle irons having their adjacent ed es in spaced relation to provide a slot between them. The angle irons are retained in spaced relation by means of a plate 51 which may also be Used to secure the device to a conveyor or the like. The upper edges of the base 50 carries the annular support 52 for the tube C. The left hand end of the support 59 carries an adjustable plate-like member 53 movable lengthwise of the support 50. The member 53 is mounted on a plate 54 sliding on the flanges of the member 50 and having a bolt 55 extending down through a slot in the bottom of the member 56 for receiving a washer and clamping nut 56.

The plate 54 carries a right angularly related plate member 57 in alignment with the slot in the base 50 and extending through the slot. The member 57 may consist of a single plate or a pair of spaced apart plates of the same shape. The plate member 57 has a pair of vertically spaced holes 58 and 59 near its lower end and a pair of holes 60 and 61 near its upper edge. A fifth hole 62 is located between the holes 59 and 61 with centers of the holes 59, 61 and 62 in a straight line.

The holes 58 to 62 are adapted to receive the bolts 63 and 64 for securing the member 53 to the member 57 in various angular relations thereto. The member 53 has a series of holes 65 along its right hand edge which are matched to the spacing of the holes 58 to 62 to permit the inclination of the plate 53 to be adjusted as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and the plate 53 then secured in adjusted position by means of the bolts 63 and 64.

The plate 53 has a lateral extension 66 for supporting pivotally an inverted T-shaped arm 67 on which a clamping member 68 is mounted. The clamping member 68 is like the clamping member 22 except that it has an outwardly extending, centrally located arm 69 thereon to be secured to the arm 67 by means of a clamping bolt 76. The arms 67 and 69 have several holes 71 and 72, respectively, thereon to permit adjustment of the clamping member 68 relative to the arm 67, both linearly and angularly.

The arm 67 and the clamping member 68 thereon are swung between clamping and unclamping positions by means of a toggle 73. The toggle 73 includes an elongated curved bar 74 forming an operating handle which is connected by means of a pivot member 75 at its upper end to the lower left hand end of the T-shaped arm 67. A link 76 is connected by means of a pivot 77 to an extension 78 on the plate 53 and by means of a pivot 79 to the bar 74. The relation of the link 76 to the bar 74 is such that when the latter is locked down against the extension 78, the clamping member 68, is pressed against the side of the television tube (not shown) and axis of the pivot 79 passes beyond a line down through the axes of the pivots 75 and 77 or past dead center position thereby locking the toggle 73 in clamping position. The toggle 73 can be released by pulling outwardly on the lower end of the bar 74.

The right-hand end of the base 50 carries slidably a plate 80 which can be locked to the base by a clamping nut and bolt 81 extending through the slot in the base. The plate 80 carries an inclined upright 82 secured thereto by a reinforcing web 83. The upright 82 has a series of holes 84 therein to receive a bolt 85 for securing the clamping member 86 thereon. The clamping member 86 is identical with the member 68 and has an arm 87 thereon provided with a series of holes to receive the bolt 85 to lock the clamping member 86 in adjusted position.

Inasmuch as the invention is susceptible to considerable modification, as indicated above, the form of the invention described above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A clamp for engaging and retaining circular or rectangular television tubes on a support, comprising a base member, a cushioned supporting member mounted on said base member to engage the screen end of the television tube, a first slide member adjustable on said base member toward and away from said supporting member, means to lock said slide member in adjusted position, a second slide member adjustable on said member toward and away from said supporting meme-er and at the opposite side thereof from said first slide member, means to lock said second slide member in adjusted position, a first upright on said first slide member extending outwardly therefrom beyond said supporting member, a first clamping jaw on and adjacent to the outer end of said first upright, a second upright pivotally mounted on said second slide member, extending outwardly therefrom beyond said supporting member and pivotally movable toward and away from said first upright, a second clamping jaw on and adjacent to the outer end of said second upright, each of said clamping jaws comprising a bar having aligned outer ends and a concavely formed recess between said ends, and toggle means including an actuating handle mounted on said second slide member and connected to said second upr ght to move the latter pivotally toward said first upright to engage a tube therebetween and hold it in engagement with said supporting member. 2. The clamp set forth in claim 1 in which said cushioned supporting member comprises an annular ring fixed to said base member, and at least one tubular rubber cushioning element telescoped on said ring to engage the screen end of said tube.

3. A clamp for supporting circular or rectangular television tubes on a support, comprising an elongated base member, a first slide adjacent one end of said base memher and adjustable lengthwise thereof, means connectmg said first slide to said base member and looking it in adjusted position, a first upri ht fixed to said first slide. a clamping jaw secured to said first upri ht in s a ed relation to said base member, a second slide including a base plate engaging said base member and adiustable lengthwise thereof, means to lock said base plate in adusted position relative to said base member, an apertured plate on said base member substantially perpendicular to it, an adjustable plate having apertures therein, means engageable in the apertures of said apertured and adjustable plates to retain them in predetermined angular relations, a second upright, a clamping jaw on said second upright, means pivotally connecting said second upright to one end of said adjustable plate, an actuating lever, means connecting said actuating lever pivotally to said second upright, and a link pivotally connected at its opposite ends to about the middle of said lever and to the adjustable plate to form therewith a toggle for locking said clamping jaws against a tube.

4. A clamp for engaging and retaining circular or rectangular television tubes on a support, comprising a base member, slides on said base member adjustable individually toward and away from each other, means connecting said slides to said base member and locking them in adjusted position, and upright fixed to one o,f

said slides, a clamping jaw secured to said upright in spaced relation to said base member, a second upright pivotally connected to the other slide and roekable toward and away from fixed upright, a clamping jaw secured to said second upright, an actuating lever, link and pivot means connecting said lever to said second upright and said other slide for rocking said second upright in response to movement of said actuating lever, each of said clamping jaws comprising a bar having aligned outer ends and a concavely formed recess between said ends, and cushioned supporting means between said slides and disposed inwardly of said jaws to engage the screen end of a television tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 408,473 Focken Aug. 6, 1889 548,767 Vuillier Oct. 29, 1895 684,097 Quigley Oct. 8, 1901 936,927 McCallum Oct. 12, 1909 1,281,762 Carpenter Oct. 15, 1918 1,421,370 Ashworth July 4, 1922 2,535,210 Jackson Dec. 6, 1950 

